Time for a single-payer health care system

The efforts of the Tri-County Medical Society to address skyrocketing American health costs are commendable (“Doctors’ group calls for ‘radical’ change in health care system,” Dec. 6). But its proposed solutions overlook the elephant in the exam room: the fact that the American health “system” is actually a patchwork dominated by a highly profitable and grossly inefficient private insurance industry. In its eternal quest to attract the healthiest customers, the insurance industry devours our health care dollars, wasting them on advertising, marketing, underwriting, lobbying and profligate executive salaries.

It’s long past time to stop feeding this beast and adopt an efficient, fair, single-payer system that would slash administrative waste, get control of our health spending, and, most importantly, guarantee quality coverage for all citizens.